Remote control device with smart card capability

ABSTRACT

A remote control device including a processor, a transmitter in communication with the processor, a receiver in communication with the processor, and a smart card reader/writer in communication with the processor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] (Not applicable)

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

[0002] (Not applicable)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention is directed generally to a remote controldevice and, more specifically, to a remote control device with a smartcard reader/writer.

[0005] 2. Description of the Background

[0006] Virtually every consumer electronic (CE) device sold today comeswith its own remote control. As a result, it is not uncommon forhouseholds to have as many as three different remote control devices tocontrol separate CE devices on the living room coffee table, thusintroducing clutter and confusion as to the remote control that controlseach particular CE device. The home electronics industry has respondedto consumer frustrations with the introduction of universal remotedevices. A universal remote control can be “taught” to take the place ofall of the individual remote controls, thus allowing reduction of thenumber of remote controls per household to one.

[0007] Even though using a universal remote control has many advantages,it, at the same time, introduces new problems. For one, it is difficultto determine the current mode of operation of the universal remotecontrol merely by visual inspection. In addition, once the mode ofoperation is determined, a sequence of buttons must be pressed to changethe mode of operation of the remote control to that of another CEdevice. Thus, there is a need for a remote control in which the mode ofoperation may be more easily changed.

[0008] Another significant problem with universal remote controls isthat no feedback is given to the user to identify the source oftransmittal problems between the remote control and the CE device suchas a weak remote control signal, low battery power, an incorrect mode ofoperation, a malfunctioning set-top box, and other such problems. Thus,there exists a need for a feedback device that indicates the mode ofoperation of the remote control whenever the buttons of the remotecontrol are pressed to assist in diagnosing the source of transmittalproblems. Further, there exits a need for a remote control having afeedback device that indicates weak signal strength and/or low batterypower.

[0009] In addition, many remote control users also find it frustratingto have to press a button or tap an LCD screen on the remote controlthat cannot be seen in a dark room in order to light the remotecontrol's buttons. Further, pressing a random button or randomly tappingthe LCD screen in the dark may trigger a remote control function thatthe user did not intend. Thus, there exists a need for a remote controlhaving illumination whenever the remote control is moved or picked up.

[0010] Advanced technophile users demand the functionality of universalremote control devices to become increasingly more sophisticated. Forexample, an experienced technical user may wish to do as much as theuser can with a single remote control device. In addition, a homeelectronics maven might wish to be visually or audibly alerted toincoming telephone calls, or to a favorite television show starting,from the mobile remote control independent of the typically immobileset-top box or other CE device, which may be off when such an eventoccurs, thereby causing the user to miss that event. In addition, someadvanced consumers may appreciate having the means to save and retrieveindividualized settings of each CE device and/or their user profile fromtheir remote control instead of having to use the set-top box to accessthese individualized settings and user profiles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention is directed to a remote control deviceincluding a processor, a transmitter in communication with theprocessor, a receiver in communication with the processor, and a smartcard reader/writer in communication with the processor.

[0012] The present invention represents a substantial advance over priorremote control devices. The present invention has the advantage that itincludes a smart card reader/writer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] For the present invention to be clearly understood and readilypracticed, the present invention will be described in conjunction withthe following figures, wherein:

[0014]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a remote control device withmotion-detected illumination according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a remote control device with anautomatic positional mode of operation changer according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a remote control device with anautomatic event notifier and a corresponding consumer electronic devicethat interacts with the remote control device according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a remote control device with a smartcard reader/writer and a corresponding consumer electronic device thatinteracts with the remote control device according to another embodimentof the present invention; and

[0018]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a universal remote feedback deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019] It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of thepresent invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that arerelevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, whileeliminating, for purposes of clarity, many other elements found in atypical device. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatother elements are desirable and/or required to implement a deviceincorporating the present invention. However, because such elements arewell known in the art and because they do not facilitate a betterunderstanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements isnot provided herein.

[0020]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a remote control device 10with motion-detected illumination according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. The device 10 includes a housing 12 that contains thecircuitry of device 10. Within the housing 12 are a microprocessor 14,an input device 16, a light source 18, a motion detector 20, and a datastorage area 22.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the housing12 may be constructed of a durable material such as, for example, alightweight metal such as, for example, aluminum, titanium or along-lasting alloy. According to another embodiment, the housing 12 maybe constructed of a heavy duty plastic such as, for example, PVC, ABS,or Fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). According to still anotherembodiment, the housing 12 may be constructed of rubber or of any othermaterial or any combination of materials than is capable of withstandingconstant handling and use.

[0022] The motion detector 20 can be any type of detector that senseswhen the device 10 is moved and can be of any type of mechanical switchsuch as, for example, a mercury switch or a gravity-based switch or ofany type of electronic sensor.

[0023] The microprocessor may be of any type of microprocessorappropriate such as, for example, AMD's K5, K6, or K7 series, Intel'sPentium series, Cyrix's 6×86 or Mxi series, IDT's WinChip series, orRise's mP6 or any other suitable microprocessor. The data storage area22 may be any data storage means that is utilized to store, retain andsend computer readable instructions to the microprocessor such as; forexample, the M-Systems flash memory chip; persistent data memory chipssuch as, for example, EEPROM, battery-backed SRAM or mask ROM; ortemporary-data-storage memory chips, such as, for example, DRAM, SRAM orferroelectric RAM (FRAM); or any combination of the above data-storagememory chips. According to another embodiment of the present invention,the microprocessor and the data storage area may be combined onto asingle chip such as, for example, Atmel's 16-Mbit ConcurrentFlashdual-bank device or STMicroelectronics and Waferscale Integration'sNOR-based Flash+ technology.

[0024] The light source 18 may be, for example, an incandescent,fluorescent, electroluminescent, or low-voltage light source,multicolored LEDs, or any lighting means that illuminates a portion orall of the input device 16. The input device 16 may be an alphanumerickeyboard or buttons, arrowed buttons, plain buttons, an LCD screen, atouch screen, a joystick, a stylus, a mouse, a keypad, a modem jack orany means that can be utilized by the user to input information.

[0025] When the motion detector 20 detects movement, the motion detector20 transmits a signal to the microprocessor 14 indicating the movement.The motion detector 20 is connected to a microprocessor 14 and detectsmovement of the device 10. The microprocessor 14, in turn, afterretrieving instructions from the data storage area 22, sends a signal tothe light source 18. Upon receipt of the message, the light source 18illuminates all or a portion of the input device 16 so that the inputdevice 16 may be more readily seen in dark environments. According toone embodiment, a portion or all of the input device 16 may be backlitby the light source 18. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the lightsource 18 may shine down upon the input device 16 from an extendingprojection or projections of the housing 12 to illuminate the inputdevice 16. The light sources 18 may thus be a single light that lightsthe input device 16 or may be, for example, a grid of lights, with eachlight corresponding to, for example, a button on the input device 16. Inanother embodiment, a portion of the device 10 not used for input suchas, for example, a border around the top side of the device 10, may bebacklit by the light source 18, thus shedding light on the input device16. Optionally, after a pre-set period of time (e.g., five to tenseconds) without the remote control device 10 moving or without anyinput from the input device 16, one embodiment of the present inventionmay have the microprocessor 14 send a signal to the light source 18 tocease the illumination of the input device 16. In addition, according toanother embodiment, the remote control device 10 may have a button orsome other physical means of input that activates the illumination ofthe input device 16 so the user is not limited to moving the remotecontrol device 10 to trigger illumination. Further, in anotherembodiment of the present invention, the automatic illumination due tomovement feature of the remote control device 10 may be turned off with,for example, a user-controllable switch to save battery life.

[0026]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a remote control device 30 with anautomatic positional mode of operation changer according to anotherembodiment of the present invention. The remote control device 30 issimilar to the remote control device 10 described hereinbefore inconjunction with FIG. 1 with the exception that the remote device 30 inFIG. 2 also includes a motion detector 40 that detects a different typeof motion than that of the motion detector 20 in FIG. 1. The remotecontrol device 30 also includes a directional mode indicator 44. Themotion detector 40 may be a gravity switch or any gyroscope-type devicethat can detect changes from horizontal in at least two degrees offreedom.

[0027] The motion detector 40 detects the tilting or absence of tiltingof the apparatus 30 and sends a signal to the microprocessor 34indicating the direction of the tilt or lack thereof. After receivingthe tilt directional information, the microprocessor 34, acting oninformational instructions retrieved from data storage area 42, changesthe mode of operation of the apparatus 30 to correspond to theappropriate consumer electronic device. The appropriate consumerelectronic device may be, for example, a television, a VCR, a DVD, aDVR, a satellite, a cable or HDTV controller, home theater systemcomponents, or stereo system components, indicated by the tilt of theapparatus 30. A number of different orientations of the remote device 30may correspond to a separate operational mode. Therefore, when aparticular orientation of the remote control device 30 is detected, themicroprocessor 34 may then assume the appropriate operational mode.

[0028] The microprocessor 34 may be programmed to detect the orientationof the device 30 based on feedback from the motion detector 40 and thusdetermine the mode of operation of the device 30 by any of a numberpassive programming techniques, such as, for example, numeric codeprogramming, automatic programming, learned method programming,downloading from a personal computer, button presses or any of thetypical means used to program remote controls to accept the codesrecognized by consumer electronic devices. In addition to changing themode of operation, in another embodiment of the present invention, themicroprocessor 34 may transmit a message to the light source 38 toilluminate the corresponding directional mode indicator 44 so the user,at a glance, can determine the direction of the orientation of thedevice 30 and thus the mode of operation of the remote control device30.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention, thedirection of the orientation and the corresponding mode of operation maybe indicated by the directional mode indicator 44 which may consist ofan arrangement of arrows corresponding to the different orientationdirections. According to another embodiment of the present invention,the arrow corresponding to the direction of the orientation may light upwhen the remote control device 30 is tilted in that direction. The lightsource 38 may be any lighting means described hereinbefore in FIG. 1that fully illuminates the direction mode indicator 44. According toanother embodiment, the directional mode indicator 44 is not limited tovisual signals. Any means that adequately relays the tilt and mode ofoperation information of, for example, a television, a VCR, a DVD, asatellite, cable or HDTV controller, home theater system components, orstereo system components, may be used.

[0030]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a remote control device 60with an automatic event notifier and a corresponding consumer electronicdevice 100 that interacts with the remote control device 60 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. The remote control device60 is similar to the remote control device 10 described hereinbefore inFIG. 1 except that the remote control device 60 in this embodiment alsoincorporates a speaker 70 and a receiver 74 within the housing 62.

[0031] The consumer electronic device 100 has the capability to beprogrammed to keep track of scheduled events, such as television showsor sporting event starting times, through an electronic program guide102. The consumer electronic device 100 has a terminal connection 106for receiving data via a telephone line. The consumer electronic device100 may be, for example, a typical set-top box commonly used by HDTV,satellite or cable television companies or any consumer electronicdevice such as a television, a VCR, DVD, home theater system components,stereo system components, or a digital video recorder (DVR). Besides theelectronic program guide 102 and the terminal connection 106 to atelephone line, the consumer electronic device 100 may additionallyinclude a receiver 112 and at least one transmitter 110 to communicatewith the remote control device 60. The consumer electronic device 100may also include a speakerphone 108 and/or a video conferencing system104.

[0032] When a scheduled event occurs via the electronic program guide102 or when a telephone call is received via the telephone terminalconnection 106, the consumer electronic device 100 may transmit amessage via the consumer electronic device transmitter 110 to thereceiver 74 of the remote control device 60. Electromagnetic waves suchas, for example, infrared (IR), radio frequency (RF), X-10, pulsedcodes, sound waves, microwave, or any typical remote control signalingtechnique may be utilized to pass the message between the consumerelectronic device transmitter 110 and the remote control device receiver74.

[0033] When the receiver 74 receives the signal concerning an incomingevent from the consumer electronic device 100, the receiver 74 maytransmit a signal to the microprocessor 64. The microprocessor 64 may,in turn, retrieve informational instructions from the data storage area72, interpret the signal using the instructions, and provide an alert toa user that a scheduled event is about to occur or that there is anincoming telephone call by activating the speaker 70 and/or the lightsource 68. The light source 68 may be any lighting means that can befully customized to represent different scheduled events or incomingtelephone calls. Additionally, the speaker 70 may emit brief “chirps” or“clicks” with varying pitches and tones programmed to representdifferent scheduled events or incoming telephone calls. However, thevisual and audio alerts are not limited to these responses. According toother embodiments, other alerts may be used to allow the user to easilylocate the remote control device 60 and recognize the event that isoccurring.

[0034] Both audio and visual responses may be customizable andprogrammed to be unique to the different incoming signals from theelectronic program guide 102, the video conferencing system 104 or thespeakerphone 108 of the consumer electronic device 100. For example,according to one embodiment of the present invention and in the case ofan incoming telephone call, the input device 66 could have a caller idfunction so the user can determine who was calling before activating thespeakerphone. In another embodiment and in the case of a scheduledevent, the input device 66 could display what event is about to occur.According to one embodiment of the present invention, activating theinput device 66 may turn off the audio and visual alerts by the speaker70 and light source 68 and acknowledge the programmed event from theelectronic program guide 102 or the incoming telephone or videoconferencing call through the speakerphone 108 or video conferencingsystem 104 from the consumer electronic device 100.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present invention, theconsumer electronic device 100 does not need to be powered on when theevent occurs or the telephone call is received. The remote controldevice 60 will still receive the notification from the consumerelectronic device 100 and will alert the user to the event or call.Activating the input device 66 after an alert will power on the consumerelectronic device 100 if selected by the user.

[0036]FIG. 4 is a block diagram is a remote control device 80 with asmart card reader/writer and a corresponding consumer electronic device140 that interacts with the remote control device 80 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. The consumer electronicdevice 140 includes an electronic program guide 142, a receiver 144 andat least one transmitter 146 to communication with the remote controldevice 80.

[0037] The remote control device 80 is similar to the remote controldevice 10 described herein before in conjunction with FIG. 1. However,the remote control device 80 also incorporates within the housing 82 atleast one transmitter 86, a receiver 94, and a smart card reader/writer92. The smart card reader/writer 92 is of a suitable type such as, forexample, a manual insertion, manual swipe, motorized insertion, hybrid,TTL, RS232, proximity or any other appropriate variety of smart cardreader/writer. However, the smart card reader/writer in the remotecontrol device 80 is not limited to any particular type of smart cardreader/writer listed above. The removable smart card 92 can be of anytype of smart card including a contact, contactless, combi or hybridtype with either an embedded microprocessor or memory chip.

[0038] A removable smart card 92 may be inserted by the user into thesmart card reader/writer 90 of the remote control device 80. Theremovable smart card 92 may contain information concerning userprofiles, user history, favorite shows, favorite channels, favoritethemes, channel order, reminders for favorite shows, parental controls,audio and visual settings, pay-for-view purchases and spending limits orany information that a user may want individualize for use with theconsumer electronic devices.

[0039] The information stored on the removable smart card 92 could alsocontain user Internet profiles and information including access toemail, Internet browser bookmarks, account names, address lists, hosts,security features, and display formats pertaining to Internet browsingon a television monitor. According to one embodiment, the removablesmart card 92 does not need to be remote control specific. The user maybe able to take the removable smart card 92 anywhere there is acompatible remote control 80 to access personal information on theremovable smart card 92. In addition, the removable smart card 92 couldstore promotional information allowing the user to take the removablesmart card 92 to other locations to receive coupons, discounts orspecial merchandise.

[0040] The information stored on the smart card 92 may be read by thesmart card reader/writer 90 and sent to the microprocessor 84. Themicroprocessor 84, after retrieving informational instructions from thedata storage area 88, transmits the information to the transmitter 86.The transmitter 86, in turn, transmits the information read from theremovable smart card 92 to the receiver 144 of the consumer electronicdevice 140. The transmitter 86 may transmit information viaelectromagnetic waves such as, for example, infrared (IR), radiofrequency (RF), X-10, pulsed codes, sound waves, microwave or any typeof remote control signal that can be interpreted easily by the receiver144. The receiver 144 then relays the information to the electronicprogram guide 142, which then acts upon the information received.

[0041] When information such as, for example, sound and video settings,is updated on the consumer electronic device 140, the information may besent to the transmitter 146 and then sent out to the receiver 94 of theremote control device 80. The receiver 94 in turn may transmit the newinformation to the microprocessor 84, which retrieves informationalinstructions from the data storage area 88 and relays the information tothe smart card reader/writer 90. Upon receipt of the information fromthe microprocessor 84, the smart card reader/writer 90 writes the newinformation on the removable smart card 92. Having the smart cardreader/writer 90 in the remote control device 80 allows multiple usersto move between several different removable smart cards 92 easily andquickly since the user no longer needs to have to walk over to theconsumer electronic device 140 to swap out different smart cards, thusincreasing convenience and productivity.

[0042]FIG. 5 is a block diagram for a universal remote feedback device120 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Theuniversal remote feedback device 120 is programmed to respond to thesignals sent by a consumer electronic (CE) device and its correspondingremote control device as a means of feedback to input entered into theremote control device. The universal remote feedback device 120 issimilar to the remote control device 10 described hereinbefore inconjunction with FIG. 1. The device 120 may also include a receiver 128,a speaker 132, and a display device 136.

[0043] The universal remote feedback device 120 may be programmed usingany suitable programming techniques such as, for example, numeric codeprogramming, automatic programming, learned method programming,downloading from a personal computer, and button presses or any oftypical means being used to program universal remote controls to acceptthe codes needed to operate consumer electronic devices. According toone embodiment, the universal remote feedback device 120 may be attachedto a CE device. In another embodiment, the universal remote feedbackdevice 120 may be attached to the CE device's remote control. In yetanother embodiment, the universal remote feedback device 120 may beattached to a commercially available universal remote control. In allembodiments, it is imperative that the device, either the CE device orthe remote control device, to which the universal remote feedback device120 is attached does not have its signal blocked and the universalremote feedback device 120 can receive the feedback signal the userwants.

[0044] When the receiver 128 of the universal remote feedback device 120receives a signal from a CE device or its remote control, the universalremote feedback device 120 transmits a message to the microprocessor124. The microprocessor 124 retrieves informational instructions fromthe data storage area 134 and activates the speaker 132 and light source130. The sound and light produced is customizable and can be unique toeach device programmed into the universal remote feedback device 120.The light source 130 may be, for example, multicolored LEDs or anylighting means that can be fully customized. The speaker 132 could emitbrief “chirps” or “clicks” with varying pitches and tones programmed torepresent different consumer electronic devices.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the display device 136 may displaymultiple alphanumeric characters as an indication of what device sentthe signal to the universal remote feedback device 120. For example, ifthe universal remote control were in DVD mode, the display device 136would show “DVD” each time input is received by the universal remotecontrol device 120. The user may select whether to have audio feedback,visual feedback, alphanumeric feedback, or any combination of feedback.However, other means of feedback are available to the user and shouldnot be limited to those described. The display device 136, speaker 132and light source 130 as well as other means of feedback also may providefeedback when there is a weak signal, low battery power or othertransmittal problems associated with either the remote control deviceand consumer electronic device.

[0046] Although the present invention has been described herein withreference to certain embodiments, numerous modifications and variationscan be made and still the result will come within the scope of theinvention. No limitation with respect to the specific embodimentsdisclosed herein is intended or should be inferred.

What is claimed is:
 1. A remote control device, comprising: a processor;a transmitter in communication with the processor; a receiver incommunication with the processor; and a smart card reader/writer incommunication with the processor.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein thesmart card reader/writer is adapted to receive a smart card havinguser-specific information and preferences stored thereon.
 3. The deviceof claim 2, wherein the smart card has one of a processor and a memory.4. The device of claim 2, wherein the smart card is of a type selectedfrom the group consisting of a contact smart card, a contactless smartcard, a combi smart card, and a hybrid smart card.
 5. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the smart card reader/writer is selected from the groupconsisting of a manual insertion smart card reader/writer, a manualswipe smart card reader/writer, a motorized insertion smart cardreader/writer, a hybrid smart card reader/writer, a TTL smart cardreader/writer, an RS232 smart card reader/writer, and a proximity smartcard reader/writer.
 6. The device of claim 1, further comprising astorage area in communication with the processor.
 7. A system,comprising: a remote control device, the remote control devicecomprising: a processor; a remote control device transmitter incommunication with the processor; a remote control device receiver incommunication with the processor; and a smart card reader/writer incommunication with the processor; and an electronic device, theelectronic device comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; and anelectronic program guide in communication with the transmitter and thereceiver.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the transmitter is selectedfrom the group consisting of an infrared transmitter, a radio frequencytransmitter, an X-10 transmitter, a pulsed-code transmitter, a soundwave transmitter, and a microwave transmitter.
 9. The device of claim 7,wherein the smart card reader/writer is selected from the groupconsisting of a manual insertion smart card reader/writer, a manualswipe smart card reader/writer, a motorized insertion smart cardreader/writer, a hybrid smart card reader/writer, a TTL smart cardreader/writer, an RS232 smart card reader/writer, and a proximity smartcard reader/writer.